Report: Pentagon wants 10,000 more troops in Iraq
Abizaid says forces OK, but US Army planners worry about replacements.
Faced with the problem of protecting upcoming elections and securing former insurgent stronghold, the US military tells
NBC it will need between
10,000 and 11,000 more troops in Iraq.
NBC-TV reported Monday night that this will "temporarily" bring the total number of US forces in Iraq to 150,000. As a result many soldiers and marines who were scheduled to leave Iraq this month will have to stay longer, while other troops will be sent to Iraq earlier than scheduled.
NBC-TV also reports on the difficulties these 10,000 new troops would have in order to protect all 9000 polling places in Iraq.
In an interview with
USA Today on Monday, Army Gen. John Abizaid, head of US Central Command and the top solider in Iraq and Afghanistan, said that US forces are
not stretched too thin around the world, and warned countries like Iran and North Korea not to think they could take advantage of the situation. But in an opinion piece for
Knight Ridder, senior military correspondent Joseph Galloway says Army planners tell him that, "Army and Marine commanders already have used up
most of their bag of tricks to find troops for the usual rotations to Iraq."
The Baltimore Sun reports that the Army is hard pressed to find enough officers for staff jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan and will double the length of their tours in those countries from 179 days at present to a full 12 months. Other extraordinary steps ordered or under consideration include pulling officers out of military schools or delaying entry into such programs. They could also curtail family oriented programs such as the one that allows soldiers to extend their tours at a stateside base so their children can finish their senior year in high school. The Army is struggling to fill hundreds of staff jobs for majors and lieutenant colonels in war zone headquarters and in the past month began stripping majors and lieutenant colonels from their Pentagon billets and ordering them to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday on the
new kind of training that those enlisted in the Army receive, including those who are in non-combat jobs. Basically, the
Times reports, the idea of a non-combat job is not longer relevant in the kind of wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For the recruits, it wasn't exactly what they expected when a bus deposited them at the gate nine weeks ago. The plan for many had been to learn an Army trade, to make an important contribution and still keep a safe distance from enemy lines. Instead, before they knew it, they were learning to avoid landmines, survive an ambush and spot roadside bombs disguised as cans of Coke. 'They go from being a high school kid to a soldier on the ground in Iraq, and if they get ambushed, they have to know hand-to-hand combat,' said retired Army Gen. Randall L. Rigby, a former deputy commandant in charge of training. 'The old chestnut that only the infantry takes the blows is gone.' One of the biggest problems the military faces, Mr. Galloway reported in his piece above, is how to keep enough soldiers in places like Fallujah in order to prevent insurgents from coming back, while still pressuring them in other places in Iraq. There is also some confusion
over the
number of daily attacks since US troops entered Fallujah, with interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi saying the attacks have dropped to
about 50 a day, with other sources, like Galloway, saying they have doubled to more than 100 a day.
Regardless of the number of daily attacks, the number of US troops
killed in Iraq in a single month is approaching the highest total since March 2003. The death of three more US soldiers who died in attacks Monday, the total for November stood at 134. The highest previous total, 135, came last April, when fighting flared in the Sunni Muslim stronghold of Fallujah.
Although fighting there is less intense than
earlier this month, firefights still continue in the city. An
Associated Press reported Monday quoted International Red Cross officials as saying that the Iraqi Red Crescent has established a relief center in Fallujah, but "
continued fighting between US-led forces and insurgents makes it impossible for doctors and nurses to move around and treat the wounded ..."
Meanwhile
Mideast Online reported Monday on
the difficult job the US military is having convincing Iraqi contractors to come and take part in rebuilding the almost completely destroyed Fallujah. Most contractors say they will not return until the security situation in the city improves.
Also...
•
Israel shocked by image of soldiers forcing violinist to play at roadblock (
Guardian)
•
Sandinista win worries US (
Azcentral.com
•
Iran hails UN nuclear 'victory' (
BBC)
•
Iraq election dispute creates unusual alliances (
MSNBC)
• Feedback appreciated. E-mail
Tom Regan
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